Wellington Mk X
Contents
This page is about the British bomber Wellington Mk X. For other uses, see Wellington (Family). |
Description
The Wellington Mk X is a rank II British bomber
with a battle rating of 3.3 (AB/RB) and 4.0 (SB). This aircraft has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.
General info
Flight Performance
Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.
Characteristics | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stock | |||||||
Max Speed (km/h at 4,053 m) |
Max altitude (meters) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (meters/second) |
Take-off run (meters) | |||
AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | ||
392 | 377 | 6500 | 36.3 | 37.5 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 650 |
Upgraded | |||||||
Max Speed (km/h at 4,053 m) |
Max altitude (meters) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (meters/second) |
Take-off run (meters) | |||
AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | ||
? | ? | 6500 | ??.? | ??.? | ??.? | ??.? | 650 |
Details
Features | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | X |
Limits | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Wing-break speed (km/h) |
Gear limit (km/h) |
Combat flaps (km/h) |
Max Static G | |
+ | - | |||
355 | ~5 | ~3 |
Optimal velocities | |||
---|---|---|---|
Ailerons (km/h) |
Rudder (km/h) |
Elevators (km/h) |
Radiator (km/h) |
< 275 | < 275 | < 310 | > 320 |
Compressor (RB/SB) | ||
---|---|---|
Setting 1 | ||
Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
1,250 m | 1,420 hp | 1,662 hp |
Setting 2 | ||
Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
3,710 m | 1,315 hp | 1,539 hp |
Survivability and armour
- 9 mm Steel plate in the pilot's seat.
Armaments
Suspended armament
The Wellington Mk X can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- 10 x 250 lb G.P. 250 lb Mk.IV bombs (2,500 lb total)
- 18 x 250 lb G.P. 250 lb Mk.IV bombs (4,500 lb total)
- 9 x 500 lb G.P. 500 lb Mk.IV bombs (4,500 lb total)
- 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs + 6 x 250 lb G.P. 250 lb Mk.IV bombs (3,500 lb total)
- 2 х 18 inch Mark XII torpedoes
- 1 x 4,000 lb H.C. 4,000 lb Mk.II bomb (4,000 lb total)
Defensive armament
The Wellington Mk X is defended by:
- 2 x 7.7 mm Browning .303 machine guns, nose turret (1,200 rpg = 2,400 total)
- 4 x 7.7 mm Browning .303 machine guns, rear turret (2,000 rpg = 8,000 total)
- 1 x 7.7 mm Browning .303 machine gun, 2 x side turret (1,200 rpg)
Usage in battles
Tactics
In AB the winning tactic is to climb high and do base bombing with 500’s “from orbit”; it helps to have escorts.
In RB you start in the air so you have the advantage to trade altitude for airspeed and bomb ground targets and retreat before enemy fighters start to arrive, however be close to friendlies so they can intercept chasers.
Counter-tactics
If you are attacking a Wellington, focus on its engines, they are relatively easy to set on fire. While you should not worry too much about the turrets, do not hang around either, as an attack from the rear is still dangerous as the rain of 7.7 mm may cause an engine fire. As usual, do not rely on luck to win engagements.
Manual Engine Control
MEC elements | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
Oil | Water | Type | ||||
Not controllable | Controllable Not auto controlled |
Not controllable Not auto controlled |
Controllable Not auto controlled |
Combined | Controllable 2 gears |
Not controllable |
Modules
Tier | Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | Fuselage repair | Radiator | Protective vest | Turret 7 mm | TC mk.I |
II | Compressor | Airframe | LBC mk.I | ||
III | Wings repair | Engine | New 7 mm MGs (turret) | SBC mk.I | |
IV | Engine injection | Cover | MBC mk.I |
The default bomb load is a meagre 10 x 250 lb (117 kg) so upgrading to 18 x 250 or 9 x 500 "pounders" (500 lb (226 kg)) should be task number one. In order: unlock the Turret 7 mm ammo first, then the TC mk.I (torpedo) rack, and then the LBC mk.I. Unlocking the 7 mm ammo gives access to the "Universal" AP-I belt as one works up to the bomb racks for 18 x 250 lb or 9 x 500 lb. After that you can pursue your choice of upgrades.
Upgrades to the turret should also be considered. The different belts do not have a considerable effect, but the upgraded turrets allow for a longer fire at a greater rate, which is very important for the small rifle calibre machine guns.
However, speed and climb rate is also a necessity and the unlocks help the sluggish Wellington a lot. The decision should depend on the pilot's flying style. When rushing in, better armament will help in the retreat, but better performance will aid in returning to friendly zones quickly.
The sneaky approach on the other hand relies less on speed, but on surviving the random combat encounters. Turret upgrades are the way to go for this playstyle.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Versatile payload options.
- Airframe itself is very durable.
- Usable payload stock, and fairly average once upgraded.
- Extreme horizontal firing arc on front and rear turret of just over 180 degrees.
- Good gunner ammunition supply.
Cons:
- Hopelessly outclassed by enemy fighters of similar rank.
- Defensive turrets are easy to take out.
- Defensive armament is poor.
- Slow speed.
- Bad climb rate, largely due to combination of heavy airframe with only average engines.
- Lack of armor makes engines, crew, fuel tanks, etc noticeably vulnerable.
- Control stiffening becomes a serious issue at air speeds over 450 km/h.
History
Performance-wise the Wellington was not notably remarkable, its strength lay on the inside. Devised by one of the greatest innovative thinkers in history, Sir Barnes Neville Wallis devised a geodesic structure resulting in an exceptionally strong airframe. Together with Reginald Kirshaw "Rex" Pierson they designed their record-making "Vickers Wellesley", paving the way for the "Wellington" and larger "Warwick". With high aspect ratio wings and a spacious fuselage it proved capable of handling a myriad of missions including early airborne radar and robust enough enough to absorb severe damage and fly home. Although the bomb bay configuration limited bomb size, its payload was slightly more than the Heinkel He 111 H-3 and with greater range. It is also one of the first aircraft to have a powered turret in the extreme tail with a very wide arc; however it was still inadequate to defend itself against attacking fighters and early models lacked self-sealing fuel tanks. Still, this aircraft was admired by crews and affectionately called “Wimpy” after Popeye's hamburger loving friend and sidekick whose full name is J. Wellington Wimpy. Over 11,000 made, it equipped many RAF squadrons including those comprised of foreign crews like the Polish (4 squadrons), New Zealand (No. 75), and Czech (No. 311), one of which was captured by the Germans who used it for intelligence and training. "Viking", a passenger transport variant, became the world's first pure jet transport prototype aircraft in 1948.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the aircraft;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
- other literature.
Britain bombers | |
---|---|
Torpedo | Swordfish Mk I · Swordfish Mk II · ▄Avenger Mk II |
Dive | V-156-B1 |
Hydroplanes | ▄Catalina Mk IIIa · Sunderland Mk IIIa · Sunderland Mk V |
Light | Blenheim Mk IV · Beaufort Mk VIII · ▄Hudson Mk V · Brigand B 1 |
Based on A20 | ▄Havoc Mk I · ▄Boston Mk I · ▄DB-7 |
Hampden | Hampden Mk I · Hampden TB Mk I |
Wellington | Wellington Mk Ic · Wellington Mk Ic/L · Wellington Mk III · Wellington Mk X |
Halifax | Halifax B Mk IIIa |
Stirling | Stirling B Mk I · Stirling B Mk III |
Lancaster | Lancaster B Mk I · Lancaster B Mk III |
Lincoln | Lincoln B Mk II |
Shackleton | Shackleton MR.Mk.2 |